"Nakita ko na lahat ng mga litratong ipinasa mo sa akin and..." putol ni Shane sa kaniyang sasabihin. Kakarating niya lang dito sa flat ko at sa tono ng pananalita niya ay mukhang inanalisa niya na ang mga larawan na ipinadala ko sa kanya.
"And?" Ngumiti siya, ngiting nang-aakit o what. "Yuck, Kenshane! Umayos ka nga!" angil ko pa. Humagalpak lang siya ng tawa sabay palakpak.
"Alam mo talaga, Marci. Kung naging lalaki lang ako ay baka kasal ka na sa akin," nang-aasar na naman ang tono niya kaya 'di ko mapigilang mapataas-kilay.
"Bakit ba? Anong nakain mo at nagkakaganiyan ka?"
"Wala, bumilib lang naman ako sa'yo. Ilang minuto ka lang sa kwarto na iyon pero ang dami mong nalaman, ha? Eh, ako nga baka inabot ng oras."
Napangiwi naman ako. Field Agent ako samantalang siya ay nasa Experiment Department talaga.
"Duh? Kasi iba naman ang pakay mo roon. At saka kung 'di dahil sa tip mo ay hindi ko naman malalaman ang tungkol sa kababalaghan na mayroon ang kuwarto na iyon. Anyway, maiba ako, naiintindihan mo ba ang mga nasa larawan?"
Umupo siya at inilagay sa kandungan niya ang kanyang laptop. Nandodoon na ang mga pictures.
"This one," she pointed to the headboard with a black button. "It's a button, right?"
"Yeah," I replied concisely.
"This..." She gestured to what appeared to be a small string attached to the button. It wouldn't catch the immediate attention of regular folks, but as agents, nothing like that could elude us.
"Following the direction of this string, it seems to lead to the floor. However, due to another string connected to the wall going upward, it's perplexing to determine the actual pattern to follow."
I nodded, having noticed that as well.
"The one going up is clearly continuous, while the one going down, I doubt it's still connected to the floor leak. It's severed, so to speak. If you pull this string upward, it might activate the double-bladed knife on the wall near the bed."
"Right, because the string controls that device. When you pull the string, it triggers the knife." She nodded in agreement with my explanation.
"So, you need to be cautious if you ever attempt that. When you pull this string, the knife will move directly toward the person who pulled it. You can choose to avoid it or not."
In short, it's a trap designed to mislead anyone who finds it into believing it's the way to open the floor.
"And as for this, the toolbox or whatever it is, I'm certain there's something inside. It could be a passcode or a key. The question is, how can we open this box when there's an alarm connected to it?"
"Simula ba ng nailagay mo ang camera sa loob ay wala pang pumapasok doon?"
"Nope. Mukhang abala si Gabriel."
"How about 'yong yaya?"
"Hindi rin. So, napansin mo rin pala 'yon?"
"Yeah. Kagabi ay siya ang nag-check if still lock pa rin ba ang kwarto."
"We need Shines to deactivate the alarm," she remarked.
"Shines is an expert in hacking. Do you think she can also handle deactivating the alarm?"
"I'm not sure. I'll confess, Marciella, I'm finding this mission quite challenging. It's as if we're in a room surrounded by puzzle pieces, and there's someone just observing us."
"I share your sentiment, Shane. Gabriel isn't an ordinary person; something the Snellenns were unaware of, and that's why they trusted him."
We both sighed.
YOU ARE READING
A Forbidden Affair (Guieco Clan Series #2)
RomanceMarciella Perrer, a woman of principles, faces a complex love situation. She just found herself attracted to Ashmer Guieco, her best friend's boyfriend, and the boss of the Guieco Clan where she works. Though she was there first, she chose to step b...
